Drums and Percussion

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This summer I’ve been working on music staff for the Performance team at Camp Ramah in the Berkshires. We put on a killer Independence Day concert and it was broadcast on the local radio station here. You can hear me on kit and backup vocals for the nearly two-hour concert.

Elizabeth Chan, the Queen of Christmas, had me join her at a special performance at the Pennsy Theatre at Madison Square Garden. What a pleasure to accompany her with guitar monster John Benthal. Plus I got to strap jingle bells to my leg!

I knew I had listened to every Roots album and transcribed half of ?uestlove’s grooves and spent hours and hours trying to hone in on his feel and swing for a reason. It was to play RnB and soul with my friend Mario. Sometimes it is by giving ourselves limitations that we become truly creative. With a stage the size of a postage stamp we were limited in space but free to play deep pocket. Everyone in the place was nodding their head with us and the patrons and staff were so appreciative of the sound we were putting out.

I recently joined this beautiful new Americana project led by Kaylor Otwell: Kaylor and the Tin Cans. I guess that makes me a tin can. The band has three qualities I’ve been looking for in a project. First, it’s acoustic. No pesky amplifiers or extension chords, volume knobs or earplugs and it sounds great in a living room. Second, there are lots of harmonies and I can finally stretch out my third-part-singing. Third, I get to play cajon! Now that is an easy schlep. Check out my setup:

I just finished up a really fun gig with the Herreras down in Delaware. Besides the perpetual energy of the Herreras’ music, we were poolside and it was a lovely sunny day. So sunny, that I decided my cymbal was put to better use as a shade than an instrument. Little known fact: the sun makes things really hot, especially metal things.